Old Madam Yun, taking her two young granddaughters with her, rode in the Cheng Family’s carriage surrounded by guards to redeem the remaining six young girls from the Yun Family who had been sold as servants to other households. Each time one was safely redeemed, the smile on the old madam’s face grew wider. By the time all six had returned, the old madam was so happy her eyes crinkled with joy. She hugged this one, kissed that one—all were the flesh of her heart. She examined each child to see if they had been injured or suffered. For those with injuries, she cursed the master’s household for being inhumane. For those who had suffered, she held the child and shed tears for a while. Seeing all eight beloved granddaughters gathered around her, ravenously devouring snacks, she felt that all the previous suffering was nothing.
This one was the eldest uncle’s granddaughter, this one was the youngest uncle’s. Though all were granddaughters, all were the so-called “harbingers of misfortune” rejected by their daughters’ husbands’ families. The oldest was no more than twelve, the youngest only seven. All were thin and small, with yellowish hair, yet the old madam felt they were all heavenly immortals descended to earth.
“Grandmother, you won’t send Xiao Nan back to the Zhang Family, will you? Their young master always hits me and makes dogs chase me. I’m scared.”
The old madam lifted Xiao Nan’s skirt—her stick-like legs were covered with scars. Her heart ached as if cut by knives. Cheng Dong’s anger had already been blazing. Hearing this, he set down his horizontal blade and strode toward the Zhang Family’s tightly shut main gate. He lifted the grinding stone from the millstone in front of the gate—this stone weighed a full three hundred pounds, yet in Cheng Dong’s hands it seemed light as a feather. He exerted force with both arms and smashed the stone toward the dark gate. With a thunderous crash, both door panels shattered completely. The Zhang Family members hiding behind the door fled toward the rear courtyard in panic. A chubby boy of twelve or thirteen, along with a black dog with its tail between its legs, tried to dash into the house.
Cheng Dong stepped forward, grabbed the fat boy by the collar, and with a casual flick, sent him flying. The fat boy landed beautifully face-first on the ground, losing most of his teeth. A large, fat woman shrieked and rushed out, embraced the fat boy, pointed at Cheng Dong and screamed: “Injuring people in broad daylight—aren’t you afraid of the law?”
Cheng Dong unhurriedly grabbed the black dog and with a single squeeze of his hand, the dog twitched twice and went still. Seeing the dog dead, he turned toward the mother and son. As soon as the fat boy saw Cheng Dong turn around, he immediately stopped crying, his mouth full of blood as he burrowed into his mother’s embrace, not daring to make a sound.
Perhaps maternal instinct gave the woman courage—she tightly held her son and loudly shouted for help. A middle-aged man in his forties ran out and prostrated himself on the ground, kowtowing continuously, hoping Cheng Dong would spare his entire family.
“Spare you? This one doesn’t have that authority. When His Lordship returns from the Longxi army, you’ll learn what the law really means.” After speaking, Cheng Dong stepped over the middle-aged man’s body and left the courtyard.
Old Madam Yun, holding Xiao Nan, stood at the main gate watching Cheng Dong punish the fat boy. Xiao Nan’s face was full of smiles, her small fists clenched tightly.
“Young Miss, see—the fat boy who bullied you has had his teeth knocked out by this humble one, and the black dog that bit you has also been strangled to death by this humble one. When we return, this humble one will skin it and leave the hide for Young Miss as a mattress. As for the meat, would you allow this humble one to stew it and eat it?”
Before Xiao Nan, Cheng Dong’s face was full of fawning expressions. Though Xiao Nan and the old madam still wore ragged clothes, Cheng Dong dared not show the slightest disrespect. Others didn’t know—they thought the Cheng Family was helping the Yun Family and positioning themselves as benefactors. But Cheng Dong had followed Old Cheng on campaigns east and west since childhood and understood his master’s temperament all too well. Since Lord Yun appeared, the master had looked upon him favorably, and now treated him like his own sons and nephews. Seeing His Lordship’s various miraculous abilities, his meteoric rise in the future was inevitable! If he didn’t curry favor with the old madam now, when would he?
“Uncle is so amazing! Did my brother send you? Is my brother even more amazing than you?”
Of course Cheng Dong wouldn’t say that her brother was the disgrace of the Left Military Guard, couldn’t even draw a bow, let alone fight. But looking at the little girl’s hopeful eyes, he could only say against his conscience: “Of course! Otherwise, how would His Majesty have enfeoffed your brother as a lord?”
Hearing this, the little girl slid down from the old madam’s embrace and ran back to her sisters to tell them how amazing their brother was, and how they would never have to fear being bullied by others again.
Seeing the children’s joyous voices, the old madam bowed to thank Cheng Dong. Cheng Dong repeatedly said he didn’t dare, and told the old madam: “Old Madam hasn’t met our Lord. This humble one has seen several outstanding youths of fifteen years, but compared to His Lordship, they are all insignificant. Old Madam can rest assured—with His Lordship here, the Yun Family’s prosperity is just around the corner. In a few days, this humble one must return to Longxi. I wonder if Old Madam has any message to take to His Lordship?”
The old madam thanked Cheng Dong and asked him to come to the fief the day before he left to collect a letter.
The old madam declined Madam Cheng Pei Shi’s invitation for the whole family to live at the Cheng residence, and instead brought the forty-three women and children of the Yun Family to the Yun clan’s fief at the foot of the southern mountains.
Despite extensive inquiries by the Hundred Cavalry Division, they only found forty-three people. The rest were without any trace, so they could only report this number.
His Majesty Li Er issued an edict to comfort the Yun clan members, and Empress Zhangsun bestowed money and silk. Madam Cheng delivered two thousand strings of copper coins as promised and brought fifty male and female servants for their use. Since many were physically weak and injured or ill, she specially invited renowned physicians to nurse these women and children back to health.
Yun Ye opened his mouth wide and breathed desperately. Beside him, Cheng Chumo, behind him Liu Family’s third son, Ge Family’s second son, and Pei Family’s youngest—all were doing the same. Holding one’s breath underwater for a count of one hundred was absolutely not suffering meant for humans! Anyone who raised their head before time would get a club to the skull. Those wielding the clubs were experts who knew how to make it hurt without causing injury. If you could just count quickly, that would be fine—the brothers could endure it.
But the bastard doing the counting deliberately counted wrong! Just when you’d painfully reached eighty, the next number would suddenly become forty-one. No one dared object—whoever objected got beaten.
Yun Ye felt like a mole in a whack-a-mole game, his head covered with lumps from being hit, wanting to pass out but showing not half a sign of losing consciousness.
Two whole months of hellish training had made two hundred unfortunate souls wish they were dead—and all were sons of meritorious families, offspring of prominent households. Originally there were only one hundred people, plus Yun Ye the unlucky bastard made one hundred and one. Who knew Zhangsun Wuji heard the news from somewhere and forcibly stuffed in another hundred.
Old Cheng had been furious at first, unwilling to let Zhangsun take advantage. But then Zhangsun dragged him into the commander’s tent, and who knows what was said or done. When the two emerged, both were beaming with smiles, and Old Cheng readily agreed to Zhangsun’s request. Who knows what advantage Old Cheng gained—he didn’t share the slightest bit with Yun Ye, making Yun Ye despise these two old perverts from the bottom of his heart.
Having just caught their breath, they climbed ashore soaking wet, and military packs sewn from cowhide imitating Yun Ye’s backpack were thrown before their eyes. Needless to say, they were filled with sand—wet sand that had been soaked in water. The five-kilometer weighted cross-country run had begun. For the sake of dinner, everyone desperately adjusted their bodies, shouldered their packs, and ran toward camp.
Yun Ye was dragged by the arm by Cheng Chumo, stumbling across the finish line. The two immediately dropped their packs and scrambled toward the dining table. Not caring whether their hands were clean, they grabbed flatbread and stuffed it into their mouths. Never mind the dishes—filling their stomachs first was the right principle. Not just the two of them—every man who reached the finish line looked the same. Gone was any trace of their usual so-called noble bearing.